Cashing In

Your "Bad Beat" for Saturday is on:

Michigan State (over 28 1/2 first half team points) vs. Butler.

Before I get to the beat let me just say that I appreciate all of you who read this blog and I would love to hear from you so anybody who would like to post a comment, any comment, I wholeheartedly welcome it so please feel free to fire away down below.

As for the beat this is not your usual type of a beat but this was truly as bad as they come.

Some sites had first half team totals up yesterday and the Spartans over/under was 28 1/2. Tom Izzo's team came storming out of the gate nailing two three pointers right off the bat just a minute in. Things stayed hot as Korie Lucious and the fellas scored 18 points eight minutes into the game and had the 21-17 lead with literally 9 1/2 plus minutes to go in the first half. Therefore only a measley 8 points were needed in about a full 10 minutes of basketball, simple right?

I think you know where this is going.

Butler turned up that defensive pressure and went into lock down mode. The Spartans' defense also took things up a notch as the Bulldogs only scored three points in the next six minutes but that really did not matter with this play as Michigan State was brutal in the second half of the first half. But Durrell Summers made a layup with 2:49 to go in the jalf and Sparty grabbed the 28-23 lead. Only one more point was needed.

"Only".

State missed three three's and turned the ball over late and this thing went into the locker room tied at 28!?!?

Yikes!!!!!!



Your winners for Sunday are on:

3* Nets (plus 3 1/2) at Washington.

2* Yankees (even) at Boston.

One Saturday play and it was an easy 4* winner on Duke.



The Wizards have won one game since February 28th and are as horrific as they come. Flip Saunders' team no longer has any of their big three in Arenas, Jamison and Butler and is the epitome of a shell of itself right now. Andray Blatche is their best player but he and Saunders pretty much hate each other. There really isn't much else there and for this team to be laying anything to anybody is too much to fathom.

New Jersey is much improved and won again last night destroying the Hornets by about 30. Lopez and Harris and Lee and others are starting to look like a team. Yes they have only won 11 games on the campaign which is about 12 less than the Wiz but that does not truly represent these current two teams.

The Nets are on a back-to-back with travel so fatigue could be an issue but it doesn't matter as they are the much better team and it will show in the end.



CC and the Bombers! The Yankees are the champs and I'll take my chances on them here at Fenway Park. Boston will be good this season as usual but I don't think they are Yankee good. In terms of pitching the boys from Beantown may even have the overall edge but the lineup goes to Joe Girardi's boys as Arod and the Bombers are awesome.

Sabathia and Beckett should both be firing away and holding their own but the champs are the champs and to not be laying anything with is fine with me here, even on the road.

When push comes to shove in a game between the Yankees and Red Sox with two stud pitchers on the hill my buck is on the Yanks.

Your "Bad Beat" for Tuesday is on:

Coyotes (over 5 1/2) at Vancouver.

A consolation prize to any Pacific hoops backers as the Tigers were getting 5 1/2 and up by 6 at the break only to get drilled and watch Missouri State cover the game.

But the "Bad Beat" of the day comes on the ice where Phoenix was tangling in Vancouver. The over looked to be the play as this thing was 3-1 Canucks after just one period and 4-1 mid-way through the second. That means half of the game was remaining and just one measley goal needed for the over.

I guess it wasn't that measley.

There were only 16 combined shots in the third period and no more goals as this thing stayed 4-1 and a winner for the under players.



Your winners for Wednesday are on:

3* Nets (plus 7) vs. Phoenix.

2* Lakers (plus 1) at Atlanta.

One Tuesday play and it came through in the end. 4* North Carolina was a pick and needed overtime but did win by one. That was much much needed!



If you have been reading this blog for awhile then you more than likely know my feelings on the Nets. New Jersey may only have 10 victories on the season but they are not that bad. I love Lopez and Harris and feel that Kiki's team has solid enough complimentary players led by Lee and Yi. Finally the Nets' talent has translated into victories as they have now won three of the last four games and three straight at home.

The Nets just upset the Spurs as a similar dog a few nights ago and tonight have another semi daunting task with the very very good Phoenix Suns in town. Nash and Stoudemire are great but the Suns are playing for a second straight night after the victory in the Windy City yesterday. Maybe a little fatigue for the Suns? It's certainly a possibility.

There's no doubt we're backing the inferior team here, no matter my feelings for the Nets and in the end we should lose this game. But a full touchdown at home with the fresher team that is playing its best ball of the season is enough for me.



Mike Woodson's Hawks are very good and at home at times are great. Meanwhile Kobe and the Lakers have been struggling of late but I don't care, if I can get the defending champs plus something then it's a no-brainer.

Andrew Bynum is banged up and Los Angeles is not firing away on all cylinders but Phil Jackson's team is still great and boasts one of the top two players on the planet in Bryant. Look for the superstar of all superstars to take this thing over with some help from Gasol and for the champs to get back in the saddle and take care of business here.

Horford, Smith and Johnson are awesome but these are the Lakers we're talking about.

Your "Bad Beat" for Thursday is on:

Kansas State (total of 150 1/2) vs. Xavier.

I hope you stayed up late last night for this one because it was incredible, an instant classic for sure.

Kansas State led most of the way but the Musketeers just kept hitting big shots to stay in it. The Wildcats' superstar guard Jacob Pullen made a pair of free throws to give K State a 72-69 lead with 9 seconds remaining. Coach Frank Martin obviously told his team to foul and not allow a three. Denis Clemente tried to foul but it wasn't called and then Chris Merriwether did the unthinkable fouling Terrell Holloway in the act of shooting a three with five seconds remaning.

Holloway is an 85% free throw shooter and made all three tying the game at 72. The under players needed a make here at the buzzer to avoid a bitter fate of overtime. Pullen though could not hit the long jumper and we were headed into an extra session tied at 72.

With these two offenses that easily meant an over and after two overtimes the Wildcats prevailed 101-96.

All under players were rather perturbed after this one I would say!



Your winners for Friday are on:

4* Tennessee (plus 4 1/2) vs. Ohio State.

2* Nets (pk) vs. Detroit.

Yuck and yuck is about the only way I can sum up the two losses on Washington and Cornell on Thursday.



Playing the University of Tennessee is always a risk because you just never fully know what you are going to get with Bruce Pearl's Volunteers. At times Wayne Chism, Scotty Hopson, Brian Williams and the orange look like a team that can contend for the National Championship and at other times they just look flat out awful.

Ohio State is really really good if not great as Evan Turner is the best player in the country but I don't fully trust the Buckeyes either. I don't consider Thad Matta's squad a true elite team. They are beyond capable but they are also lacking in depth and at times have issues on the boards.

Don't get me wrong Turner, Lighty, Lauderdale and Diebler are very very good. But Ohio State can easily lose this game as they almost and should have against both Michigan and Illinois in the Big 10 Tournament.

The Vols have had two very solid efforts in the Big Dance so far and to get a handful back has a big enough upside for me.



The Nets are not going the entire season without winning back-to-back games and this is by far the best spot for that to happen. Of course the season is a disaster as 8-73 is beyond pathetic but as I have been saying for awhile this team is just not that bad. Harris and Lopez are borderline All-Stars and after just pounding Sacramento at home New Jersey should take care of business here against an awful Pistons' squad.

Detroit still has pieces with Hamilton, Prince, Stuckey and a few others but collectively they have turned into a joke and complete mush. This is the perfect opportunity for New Jersey to get a second straight win and avoid having the worst record ever as a victory here and at worst they would tie the 76ers from way back having that dubious distinction. With 10 more games after this one my money is on them getting at least one more win after this to avoid any claim to that fame.

Look for Harris and Lopez to do their thing and Lee and a few others to defend their home court and win this game.

Your "Bad Beat" for Tuesday is on:

Wizards (plus 6) vs. Charlotte.

Washington is not very good and the Wiz returned home on the current 11 game losing streak. But give Javale McGee and the boys credit as they battled hard against a potential playoff team in Stephen Jackson and the Bobcats, even with their best player of late Andray Blatche not playing after the eighth minute of the game due to a tiff with coach Flip Saunders.

Washington led by six at the break and pretty much were in front for the rest of the way. But Charlotte scored late and this thing went into overtime.

In that extra session things went sour once again and the Wiz were outscored 13-4 in the 95-86 win and cover for Charlotte.

Yikes!



Your winners for Wednesday are on:

3* Nets (plus 1) vs. Sacramento.

2* Hornets (plus 6) vs. Cleveland.

One play on Tuesday and it was a 3* outright winner on North Carolina!



A couple of NBA plays today as I really do not see any value in the college games.

New Jersey has to win sometime, right? If they can't win today then they probably will never win and I don't see Brooke Lopez and Devin Harris finishing the season with only seven wins. That is just incomprehensible.

Sacramento is in town without their Rookie of the Year candidate in Tyreke Evans and are playing this thing very far away from Arco Arena. The 24 win Kings are not very good to begin with and asking them to be motivated in this spot is highly unlikely.

Kiki Vandeweghe's boys have been horrific this season but you know they will want to avoid the title of worst team ever and a win today would go a long long way to stopping that.

The Nets are a more talented team than their 7-63 record shows and they will win this game.



With Chris Paul back New Orleans is a much different and better team. Obviously LeBron and the Cavs are great and probably should be the road favorite but the Hornets just served notice in that last game upsetting Dirk and the Mavs, the first one with Paul back, that this team has not quit and will play out the string.

Cleveland should win this game as they very well may be the best team in the NBA, with or without Shaq, but to lay around half a dozen in the Big Easy against a team that is a lot better than their record indicates is setting up a value for us on this home dog.

With Paul out guys like Marcus Thornton and Darren Collison really grew up and matured into quality basketball players. That can only be a good thing with the superstar back and I expect this team to play better than people realize for the near future.

Your "Bad Beat" for Friday is on:

Michigan (Moneyline, plus 320) vs. Ohio State.

There were a ton of "Bad Beats" on Friday. For one Dayton blowing a 15 point lead, when getting 3 1/2 and losing by 5 thanks in part to a technical foul in the waning seconds is almost as bad as it gets.

Also anybody who had Michigan plus 4 1/2 in the first half got absolutely screwed because they were leading 19-10 after a Stu Douglass three midway through the half and then watched Evan Turner and Ohio State end the half on an amazing 25-6 run for the easy first half cover.

The beat of the day though comes from that same game where anybody who had Michigan on the moneyline plus a boatload has got to be beyond steaming.

The Wolverines played a great second half and took a 68-66 lead on a Manny Harris jumper with two seconds remaining. With the Buckeyes having to inbound from under their own basket things were extremely bleak for the 8 1/2 point favorite just winning the game.

Turner caught the ball fairly deep in the backcourt, took two dribbles and from just inside mid-court leapt, squared up and drained the 35 plus footer for the buzzer beating 69-68 victory.



Your winners for Saturday are on:

5* Miami (plus 11) vs. Duke.

3* UTEP (minus 7) vs. Houston.

Another winning Friday as the 4* on Illinois won outright offsetting the 3* loser on Kentucky.



I am very very anti Duke as I just do not think they are that good. Coach K's boys can shoot and when on at Cameron Indoor are a total juggernaut but in any other gym can be sketchy. This team just lost at Maryland as the offense didn't do all that much last week, were blown out at Georgetown and NC State and all in all are nothing better than very good. This is not a true road game and is in their home state of North Carolina but it's not the same as on their cozy campus with this team.

Scheyer, Singler and Smith can be a devastating three-some when on but as we saw yesterday against a terrible Virginia team things are not totally hunky dory right now. The boys from Duke got away with it because Tony Bennett's team is awful but things better improve for them here if they want to beat Miami. For the Devils to be laying almost a dozen points even against a well inferior foe is just too much.

The Hurricanes will be a little tired playing a third game in three days but I do expect adrenaline to take over here, at least enough to compete and grab that cash. Asking this dog to win another game against a far fresher Duke team is a bit much to fathom but in terms of the points I'm all about the 'Canes.



UTEP is awesome right now and probably a top 10-12 team in the country. The Minors have great guard play led by Randy Culpepper and a transfer from Louisville in Derrick Caracter who is awesome. Throw in Arnett Moultrie and a few others and these guys are primed and ready to go to the Elite Eight or so.

Houston has been a nice little story but they really do not scare me all that much. Olajuwon and Drexler aren't coming through that door and even with a real solid second win this season over Memphis and other quality efforts the Cougars are good but nothing more. Aubrey Coleman is certainly one of the best scorers in the nation but this overall Houston team is just outmanned today at 11:30 EST.

The Minors already won the regular season title and are about to win the conference tournament title and roll into the Big Dance with a whole lot of momentum.

Your "Bad Beat" for Thursday is on:

Michigan (minus 8) vs. Iowa.

Eastern Michigan was getting 6 1/2 against Akron and in double overtime lost 97-89. That is pretty bad but isn't the Bad Beat of the day.

That honor goes to Michigan laying 8 against Iowa.

The Michigan Wolverines led throughout on Thursday and by a ton. The game was really easy as Manny Harris and DeShawn Sims dominated from the get go.

John Beilein's team led 57-41 with four minutes to play but went silent offensively the rest of the way except for a pair of free throws with 24 ticks left on the clock. That 11-0 run for Iowa and game ending 11-2 run resulted in the 59-52 defeat but semi shocking late cover.



Your winners for Friday are on:

4* Illinois (plus 8 1/2) vs. Wisconsin.

3* Kentucky (minus 9) vs. Alabama.

A rare losing 1-2 Thursday despite narrowly nailing the big 4* on Georgia Tech.

Wisconsin is playing much better ball of late than Illinois and just smacked around the Illinis in Champagne. Bo Ryan's boys are as solid as a rock and a dangerous out in the upcoming NCAA Tournament but are overvalued right here.

Demetri McCamey can hang with anybody and keep his boys in the game. Both of these teams are as familiar with each other as any teams can be and in this third meeting this season will not be surprised by anything.

The Illini won the first meeting in Madison and despite losing a ton down the stretch and that last game against these same Badgers are fighting for their Big Dance lives so should be as pumped up and motivated as can be. The Badgers are obviously going to be in the field of 65 and are the better team on the floor but are still not a team that can run and gun and just be a big favorite like this.

Look for the defenses to dominate and after 40 minutes a tight, well played game that results in a four point Badger victory.



It's a decent amount to lay, ever, when not at home, but the Crimson Tide just had a solid comeback win over South Carolina yesterday and are going to be a little flat and tired today.

Kentucky is amazing with John Wall and Demarcus Cousins and others. The Wildcats are going to be fresher and just put the pedal to the medal here against a team they are much much better than.

KU is young and that could be an issue at some point in the near future but they are going to be a one seed no matter what so I'm not so sure that there is really all that much pressure on the Kentucky players here making this thing in the end a total woodshed beating.

Your "Bad Beat" for Sunday is on:

Ball State (plus 5 1/2) vs. Ohio.

The Cadinals of Ball State led the entire game and I mean thee entire game, well save 2-1 that is. It was 7-2 right off the bat and then 22-13. Ball State had the 36-33 lead at the half and then liteally never trailed the entire half.

But Armon Bassett's layup with 54 seconds remaining tied the game up at 69 sending this thing into overtime.

I think you know where this is going from here.

It was 79-77 Bobcats with just over half a minute remaining. Then came the fouling game and Ohio nailed all six free throws and Ball State did not score in their final three possessions.

Final score: 85-77 Ohio!



Your winners for Monday are on:

3* William & Mary (plus 8) vs. Old Dominion.

2* Nets (plus 9) at Memphis.

One play on Sunday and it was a clear cut 3* loser on Michigan.



William & Mary has had an unbelievable season, for their standards, yet are being talked about by nobody. I am not saying they are as talented or as good as Old Dominion, because they're not, but the Tribe are now 22-9 overall and 12-6 in a decent enough Colonial Conference.

You may say yeah but who the heck has this perennial doormat beaten? How about Maryland, Richmond and Wake Forest! Pretty freakin impressive, huh?

Plus Tony Shaver's team plays solid defense resulting in low scoring games which we saw yesterday in the 47-45 upset of Northeastern. Bill and Mary have now won three in a row play games in the 50's and 60's when not in the 40's and are catching quite a number here.

Blaine Taylor's Monarchs are 25-8 and probably the best in the Colonial with Gerald Lee leading the way but they just played an extra five minutes yesterday in the overtime win over VCU and are going to have some trouble today and possibly some tired legs in this back-to-back tournament type setting plus the overtime.

This thing is going to be ugly but tight and that is the bottom line.



Memphis has not done much of anything over the past month and the Nets have got to win back-to-back games at some point. New Jersey just upset the Knicks at Madison Square Garden and I just cannot see New Jersey going a full season without winning two in a row.

The Nets have two studs in Devin Harris and Brook Lopez and are just not that bad. Throw in a Courtney Lee and a Kris Humphries along with a Jarvis Hayes and I will go to my Grave believing this team is better than 7-55 or whatever.

The Grizzlies are very talented and being at home won't hurt but things have gone south of late as they have lost 7 of their last 19 games after starting the season at 25-19 and looking like a possible playoff team. Zach Randolph has been great and OJ Mayo and Rudy Gay will fill it up but to get almost double digits in this spot with the underrated Nets is fine with me.

Your "Bad Beat" for Saturday is on:

Marquette (moneyline minus $3) vs. Notre Dame.

The Golden Eagles jumped out to the 19-8 start to the game. Notre Dame did come back to tie it at the half but the Fighting Irish trailed 50-43 with 1:01 remaining.

That's when the luck of the Irish seemed to kick in as they ended regulation on an 8-1 run capped by Carleton Scott's three at the end to force overtime.

The Irish then opened the extra session on a 5-0 run and won the game 63-60.

Trailing by seven with a minute to go and win? Wow!!!



Your winner for Sunday is on:

3* Michigan (plus 10) at Michigan State.

A winning 1-1 Saturday as the huge 5* on Baylor came through with ease!



Just one play today and I'm fine with grabbing the points in East Lansing with the visiting Wolverines from Michigan.

Rivalry games are normally hotly contested and tight throughout, unless you're North Carolina that is. I see nothing different here today.

State is betetr overall for sure as Tom Izzo's boys were a win away from being the defending National Champions but I'm just not all that sold on them right now. The wins are still coming but the margin of victory has been fairly small more times than not. Penn State almost just won the other day as in outright in East Lansing and to get Manny Harris, DeShawn Sims and the decent enough John Beilein zone plus double digits is more than enough.

Kailin Lucas, Corey Lucious and the rest of the Spartans will be jacked up and want nothing more than to end the regular season with a W over their in-state rival. They probably will accomplish that but to win by north of around 10 ain't happening in my opinion!

Your "Bad Beat" for Monday is on:

Mavericks (minus 9 1/2) vs. Indiana.

Short but sweet right here.

Dallas easily outclassed Indiana on Monday. Dirk and the Mavs built the 91-72 lead with only two minutes to go. At that point covering 9 1/2 should have been no problem at all.

"Should have been".

Dallas was goosegged in the final few minutes and outscored 10-0 as the game ended 91-82 and resulted for many in an amazing Pacers cover.



Your winners for Tuesday are on:

5* Hofstra (plus 11) at Northeastern

3* Nets (plus 7 1/2) vs. Portland.

One play on Monday and it was a 3* loser on West Virginia. Still a very nice run that continues today.



Tom Pecora's Pride have won seven of eight and are currently playing their best ball of the season. Hofstra is not as good as its opponent in Northeastern and being on the road is always difficult but this number is too sweet to pass up. Plus it appears that the price is doing nothing but going up which is never a bad thing.

The Huskies are up there in the Colonial Conference at 13-3 and are a team that has a shot to get to the NCAA Tournament for sure but that last game was a clunker losing at home to Louisiana Tech and the last few weeks have been far from impressive not covering any of their last four games.

I do think that the home Huskies prevail in the end but with some rejuvenation of late I do believe that the Pride will show some pride and stay in this thing enough for that cover.



I'm rolling with my Nets. I don't care that they have a paltry 5 wins all season long and are up against a pretty good Portland team. New Jersey is not terrible and is going to break through again at some point very soon.

The talent advantage is with Aldridge, Roy and the Blazers but Portland is only six games over .500 and not exactly an overachieving bunch overall. Plus they are on the road on the east coast and up against at least two quality players in Devin Harris and Brook Lopez.

New Jersey did blow that last game in horrendous fashion as they led by 18 and lost by 10 to Memphis. These guys though are still pros no matter how dreadful the record is and to get a handful plus at home is enough for me.

Your "Bad Beat" for Thursday is on:

Celtics (over 188) at Los Angeles.

There were no really bad bad beats on Thursday but anybody who played the over between Boston and Los Angeles, even if Kobe Bryant was out of the lineup, has to be left in a little bit of shock.

It was 53-48 C's at the break equaling 101. So only 87 or so points needed in the second half, very very doable. The teams did slow down a bit in the third quarter netting only 44 combined. But the over players were still in fine shape.

Or not.

The offenses went stagnant and in the end the Lakers outscored the Celtics a skimpy 17-11 in the final period as Boston won the game 87-86 and kept this thing head scratchingly well under that total.



Your winners for Friday are on:

4* Yale (plus 12) at Princeton.

2* Nets (plus 2) vs. Toronto.

All great things must come to an end as did this 9-0 run after the 0-2 Thursday. I'm ready to get back at it right now after losing on both Georgetown and Oregon, a couple of home favorites that wet the bed in the end.



I'm all about the Yalies today plus this way too large number. This matchup is certainly not Duke vs. North Carolina in their prime but to be honest with you on a small Friday slate I really like this game.

The Tigers have really stepped things up this season trying to return to their winning ways of Pete Carril and just took Cornell down to the wire in that 48-45 loss. A win in that thing would have almost wrapped up the Ivy League in shocking fashion. But the Big Red won in the end and have the inside track to the title as they should.

It's asking a ton here for the offensively challenged Tigers to bounce back against a decent enough Bulldog team and do so in blowout fashion. Princeton just does not score enough points on a regular basis to cover this game. Plus Yake has won two of their last three on the road and also took a quality Harvard team into overtime in a cover a few weeks ago.

This game should be ugly but that's just fine with me.



I'm going to continue to roll with Kiki Vandeweghe's Nets. New Jersey still does not win many games, as they have only five under their belts, but these guys have become money making machines of late. All New Jersey does is cover every single game. It's something like 11 of 14 right now meaning to me that they are a better team than the linesmaker seems to believe.

As usual the Nets are the inferior team on the court today but if Chris Bosh misses which he may as the All-Star is listed as doubtful than I'm not so sure.

Devin Harris and Brooke Lopez are very very good and Courtney Lee and a few others are alright as well.

I've been saying it for awhile now, with the way the Nets have been competing it's just a matter of time before they really start winning some games.

Your "Bad Beat" for Tuesday is on:

NC Wilmington (plus 9) vs. Northeastern.

A simple Bad Beat here but an effective one.

Wilmington played a great first half and was actually winning 35-24 at the break. For a bad team in a bad season this had to give the Seahawks a shot in the arm in the second half to go out and try and win a rare game. The lead was even widened to 14 only 10 seconds into the second half.

And then the world came crashing down.

Northeastern outscored Wilmington 41-18 in the final 19:50 and won 65-56 basically pushing the 9.

Yikes!



Your winners for Wednesday are on:

4* Georgia (plus 12) at Tennessee.

3* Miami (plus 7 1/2) vs. Duke.

2* Nets (plus 7) vs. Miami.

A perfect 3-0 Tuesday led by the 4* on Wake Forest to go along with the 3* Nets Outright as the 11 point dog and a 2* winner on Kentucky! Now a 6-0 run and 18* of profit over the past three days!



Seriously, who is Tennessee right now? I really do not think all that much of the Volunteers to be honest and believe they are well overrated. On the other hand the Georgia Bulldogs have been overachieving and playing much better ball than anybody thought.

Mark Fox has brought in a great attitude for the Bulldog nation (as if there is one in basketball) and guys like Leslie, McPhee, Thompkins and a few others have really held it together all season long. I am not expecting another blowout victory as things in Knoxville will be a lot more difficult here than in Athens but UGA has competed on most nights, covering a ton of games and I can see a hard fought effort once again.

Tennessee has had problems this season and with Wayne Chism now questionable I just do not see this team winning going away. The Vols were embarassed in Vandy and just fell apart at Rupp in losing and failing to cover in the end. Bruce Pearl's team is not the top 10 or so squad we thought we knew a few months ago after the Kansas victory and right now is just struggling just to win a game, no less cover such a heavy inpost.

UT should pull this thing out but not by the number that the linemaker says.



Frank Haith's Hurricanes are not in the midst of one of their better seasons as losing guys like Jack McClinton has hurt the program but at home plus this number against the fairly overrated Dookies is fine with me.

Coack K's squad is very good but they are not elite. Jon Scheyer is a total stud who can fill it up but I'm not completely sold on this team as Kyle Singler and Nolan Smith and a few others are a little inconsistent. Plus the Blue Devils have issues in the paint defending big men as Brian Zoubek and his big lunky frame is just not the answer.

Duke should win this game as they are clearly the better team but I see this game being similar to last week's at Chestnut Hill against Boston College. The Eagles played hard until the final whistle and lost by three I believe. Duke just does not leave Cameron and blo out many teams and I think that turns out to be the case here once again.



I'm rolling with my Nets. New Jersey is certainly not a good team but they are not nearly as bad as that record and have covered something like 8 of 10. Kiki Vandeweghe's squad just opened up the second half with a shocking in at Charlotte yesterday as the double digit dog and do have some quality players in Harris and Lopez along with good players like Lee and Humphries and a few others. These guys are just not terrible, they're not.

New Jersey is not as good as Dwyane Wade and the Heat, I fully realize that but to get a touchdown at home is too good to pass up. Miami is fairly mediocre overall and with both teams on the tough back-to-back it won't be easy for Wade and the visitors to travel and have legs that can win going away today.

The Nets are going to start winning some games, as we saw last night and shhh, this may be another one of those.

Your "Bad Beat" for Monday is on:

Western Carolina (under 145) at NC Greensboro.

The total was fairly high at 145 and with the score 29-23 Western Carolina at the half all of the under players were rejoicing.

Only 52 points at the mid-way point meant there needed to be 93 in the final 20 minutes and barring a few overtimes this thing appeared to be a clear cut under.

Or was it?.

The teams went batty offensively in the second half and combined for 16 points in the final two minutes of play leading to the 75-70 Catamount victory.

You do the math. 75 plus 70 equals...

Yup, over it was!



Your winners for Tuesday are on:

4* Wake Forest (plus 5 1/2) at Virginia Tech.

3* Nets (plus 11) at Charlotte.

2* Kentucky (minus 2 1/2) at Mississippi State.

One play on Monday, a 3* winner on Texas A&M!

There is no doubt that Seth Greenberg's Hokies have been a ton better than anybody would have imagined. Malcolm Delaney has led this team to that 20-4 record and being in Blacksburg certainly is an advantage for Virginia Tech but I like the way Wake Forest has stepped up their game and an outright would not be all that shocking making me fine with this handful plus.

Ish Smith, Aminu, Harris, Stewart and McFarland form a team that is no joke themselves at 17-5 and winners of three in a row and five of six. The Demon Deacons have not been nearly as stellar on the road but nobody really is. I don't see them getting blasted here at all though as the Hokies are not really an up and down type of a team that can lay a big number.

Tech plays a lot of games in the 60's and 70's and is still more of a grind it out squad that wins in tight fashion. Look for another tight contest that is decided late, maybe even in the last possession.



It's a new season for the Nets, maybe. New Jersey ended the first half with four wins and is a complete dreadful mess. There is no way around that last sentence but with that said I still believe that Kiki Vandeweghe's squad is too talented to be this bad.

Devin Harris and Brooke Lopez are borderline All-Stars and others like Jarvis Hayes, Courtney Lee and Chris Douglas-Roberts are not bad at all. This team will win some games and even if that is not tonight I don't see a good but nothing more Bobcats squad winning going away.

Charlotte is certainly an improved team with some talented pieces like Gerald Wallace, Stephen Jackson and even a rejuvenated Nazr Mohammed but they are also far from being a squad that can lay such a number to anybody.

The Bobbies are the better team and should win the game but I do think riding the Nets, who have covered a ton of late, is the smart way to go and will prove to be fruitful today.



Just too cheap of a price on Kentucky. I know all about the road chalk and how it is almost a curse but the Wildcats already had that bad road loss at South Carolina and with the far better team should take care of business today.

Miss. State is pretty good with a total monster down low in Jarvis Varnado and some other players like Dee Bost but they don't truly compare to John Wall, Eric Bledso, Patrick Patterson, DeMarcus Cousins and what these 'Cats bring to the table.

John Calipari really does have a special team that may be young but when they come to play are insanely great. This team could compete for a half against some bad NBA teams right now.

Without a doubt Kentucky should win this game and at this price that's almost all they need to do. Once again, just too cheap!

Your "Bad Beat" for Friday is on:

Maple Leafs (plus 190) at New Jersey.

Brown backers have a case after imploding and somehow blowing the cover at Columbia last night. Also anybody who backed the Bulls and got outscored 27-11 in the 4th to not cover by 1 1/2 points as well as any person who layed the incredible lumber on the ml with the Magic blowing the 23 point home lead against the Wizards as the 13 point chalk is thinking about jumping off of the nearest building BUT the "Bad Beat" of the day comes on the ice from New Jersey.

The Toronto Maple Leafs scored three goals in the second period and built a 3-1 lead deep into the third. But New Jersey's Dean McCammond lit the lamp with a tad over three minutes left to get within a goal.

Then with only 44 seconds left Travis Zajac scored on the power play and 25 seconds later Jay Pandolfo won the game capping the amazing comeback 4-3 win for New Jersey in Ilya Kovalchuk's first game with New Jersey.



Your winners for Saturday are on:

5* South Carolina (plus 9 1/2) at Tennessee.

3* Cal (minus 4 1/2) at UCLA.

2* Michigan (pk) vs Wisconsin.

A small winning 1-1 Friday as the 3* Nets took care of business in Boston.



I am not at all impressed with Tennessee right now. Bruce Pearl's squad has had a lot of issues leading to high high's and low low's and I don't think this team is ready to beat up Devan Downey and the visiting Gamecocks as they are in one of those low low's right now.

The Vols definitely do have talent but things are just not very good right now. UT lost in terrible fashion at Georgia and then fell back home to Vandy. This team has dropped four in a row to the number and are just not very good right now.

Darin Horn is a solid coach and Downey is a stud. This kid is amazing and pretty much single handedly knocked off Kentucky the other night. Brandis Raley Ross is also pretty good and in the end UT may win but this thing is going to be a lot closer than the experts think.



UCLA flat out stinks! Cal has dropped their last pair on the road at Arizona and USC but the Golden Bears are still the best team in the very weak Pac-10 and Jerome Randle and the visitors will outclass Ben Howland's dismal Bruins.

UCLA has literally fallen off the map this season. It's almost embarassing what this team is doing. They did just knock off Stanford and are actually still in the conference race but that is not at all because they are good.

The Bears were up 30-19 at USC last game and literally gave up a 25-0 run. That is freakish! Yet they still only lost by 3 in the end.

Mike Montgomery's squad may be on the road here but they will get back in the win column in fairly resounding fashion.



Michigan overall is not as good as Wisconsin but the situation is perfect for the Wolverines. John Beilein's squad in Ann Arbor is much better than on the road. These guys just pretty much beat Michigan State at home before Kalin Lucas won the game at the end in a UM cover and the Wolverines did beat UCONN a few weeks back at home when the Huskies still were alright.

Manny Harris is a star and DeShawn Sims is also very good. With Jon Leuer still out and after coming off of that emotional high of a victory against the Spartans I can see Bo Ryan's offense be very lethargic once again and suffer a letdown and a loss.

Your "Bad Beat" for Thursday is on:

Youngstown State (plus 4) at Loyola,Chicago.

A hearty runner up to any Wright State backers as the Raiders were up by 11 with 2 minutes to play and could not cover the 5 1/2 thanks to Valparaiso burying some late three's for the backdoor. Maybe Bryce Drew came back for a day?

Also anybody who had the under on the ice from Minnesota should be a little steaming right about now. The Oilers and Wild were scoreless after one period and tied at only one after two. Then four combined goals in the third put it over the 5 1/2 as the Wild won 4-2. Yikes!

But the "Bad Beat" of the day comes from Loyola where the underdog Penguins of Youngstown State built up a 53-45 lead at the half. The visitors had the lead for the bulk of the second half but in unlucky fashion it went to overtime tied at 78.

The Ramblers picked up their play in the extra session doubling up the Pens 14-7 in winning and covering the contest, 92-85.



Your winners for Friday are on:

3* Nets (plus 13) at Boston.

2* Canisius (plus 8) at Niagara.

A small winning 1-1 Thursday as the 3* Hoosiers from Indiana take care of business unlike Georgia Tech who vomited on themselves a few too many times at Cameron.



It's certainly tough to back the 4-44 Nets as they are horrific this season but without Paul Pierce and not exactly playing all that well of late I'll fade the Celtics at this price.

New Jersey may not be winning games but believe it or not they have actually covered four of their last five. Devin Harris is a borderline great point guard and Brook Lopez is no joke in the middle. Throw in a guy in Courtney Lee who was very good in the finals last season for the Magic and I can see the Nets hang here in the end.

Boston is clearly the much better team and I can see Rajon Rondo have another quality game leading the way but Pierce is injured and I just can't imagine the C's being pumped up to play this game after just facing over the past week or so the Lakers, Magic and Hawks.

I can see Doc Rivers' squad go through the motions a bit, get guys some rest and pull out the blah single digit victory.



Niagara is a .500 club that has lost six of their last eight games and just cannot be laying the number that they are. Canisius is probably the inferior team on the court here and are on the road which is never easy but they are without a doubt the right side tonight.

Joe Mihalich' team certainly can score points as they boast four players who score in double figures but the defense has been very sketchy and just last week fell to these same Golden Griffins, 73-70.

The Purple Eagles may get their revenge in terms of the outright but a cover seems very unlikely to me!

Your "Bad Beat" for Monday is on:

Grizzles (pick, first quarter) vs. Los Angeles.

Now this is good, really really good!.

These days with all of the internet sportsbooks most people can find lines for the first quarter. Well the number from Memphis was a pick as the game was basically a pick.

The Grizzlies led 24-21 with 10 seconds to go in the first quarter and Kobe Bryant lost the ball to Rudy Gay so in a normal world the Grizzlies would run the clock down and make or miss a final shot and finish the quarter with the lead and the cover. But for some inexplicable reason Gay chucked up a 60 foot shot with eight seconds to go?!?!!? I can only assume he thought the clock read 0 and not 8.

The Lakers' Shannon Brown grabbed the rebound and hurled it immediately down court to Bryant who nailed a three at the buzzer and this thing was all tied up at 24 after a period. Insane!!!!



Your winner for Tuesday is on:

3* Miami (plus 7) at Wake Forest.

A losing 1-1 Monday as the big 4* on the Wizards crapped in their pants in the fourth quarter blowing the lead and getting outscored 25-10 in the period. The 2* on Texas took care of business.



I really do not like this slate today and have one play that seems like a value to me. Wake Forest is at home in Winston Salem which will help and Miami is not great by any means as that recent four game losing streak can attest to but the Demon Deacons have no business at all right now laying this number.

I like Dino Gaudio and his team is not bad but they are also not very consistent and not very dominant. The Deacs are 14-5 and have quality players like Aminu, Smith, McFarland and Harris but they play a lot of close games with average defense at best and the Hurricanes are good enough to stay in this thing for sure.

Frank Haith's boys just had anice victory over a hot Virginia Tech team to stop the losing skid. They are 16-5 and just nipped this same Wake squad 67-66 a few weeks back. They also have beaten Minnesota and South Carolina and to be getting around a touchdown is just a bit too much.

Wake may get their revenge today in terms of the win but a cover is asking too much!